Budget 2026: Healey warned betting tax hikes could hit non-league football Sport Business The Chancellor has been warned that tax rises on betting operators could have an impact on non-league football amid duty hike fears at next week’s Budget. Chancellor John Healey will next week deliver Andy Burnham’s first Budget since his coronation as Prime Minister earlier this year, and taxes are expected to be jacked up on [...]
Qatar Racing takes over sponsorship of £4.4m British Champions Day Sport Business Qatar Racing has replaced QIPCO as title sponsor of British Champions Day at Ascot for its next three editions, starting this year. The racing empire of Qatari royal Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al Thani is a subsidiary of QIPCO, which has sponsored the most lucrative day in the British racing calendar, worth £4.4m in prize [...]
Concern as gambling black market set for £40m Royal Ascot boost Sport Business Illicit Royal Ascot betting could boost the gambling black market industry by £40m as punters get drawn in by unregulated operators. The horse racing spectacle is underway in Berkshire with 300,000 fans expected across five days of Royal Ascot racing. But many punters across the racing diaspora are turning to black market betting, with regulations [...]
And they’re off: Royal Ascot racegoers put on a patriotic show as iconic horse racing meet gets underway June 16, 2026 Royal Ascot, the greatest flat racing festival in all of horse racing, is underway and thousands of punters have dressed to impress at the Berkshire course. There are over 100 runners across Tuesday’s seven races, with over £2.75m in prize money on offer to the top performers. Racegoers must adhere to the strict Royal Ascot [...]
Royal Ascot worth £140m to UK economy June 15, 2026 This year’s Royal Ascot festival is set to be worth £140m to the UK economy as fans flock to Berkshire for top level flat racing. Around 300,000 fans are expected to attend over the five days of horse racing, which starts tomorrow afternoon, with 38,000 hospitality covers to be served by over 30 Michelin starred [...]
Ascot CEO on Royal meet, pooling media rights and the best of Britain June 10, 2026 The chief executive of Ascot Racecourse has suggested major horse racing meets could pool their media rights to compete with rival sports. The 300-year-old Royal Ascot festival returns to Berkshire next week with record prize money and 300,000 fans expected over five days of racing. And chief executive Felicity Barnard has floated the idea of [...]
Epsom Derby set for mega crowd as fans flock to The Hill June 3, 2026 The attendance at this weekend’s Epsom Derby will be nearly double last year’s haul as brighter weather and entertainment evolution draws back crowds. Attendances at the staple flat race have not been above 30,000 since 2022 and haven’t topped 40,000 since 2017 but the Jockey Club is expecting to surpass that number this weekend as [...]
Report calls for overhaul of horse racing betting industry June 3, 2026 A new report has called for an overhaul of the horse racing betting industry as the sport looks to capture a new audience. The Spotlight Sports Group report, The Horse Racing Audience Opportunity, says that “the sport should concentrate on intuitive betting formats that are easy to understand and move away from offering solely those [...]
Ascot quits Racecourse Association as Jockey Club sets ultimatum May 4, 2026 Ascot chiefs have quit the Racecourse Association after the industry body failed to resolve “structural governance concerns” to its satisfaction. The Jockey Club, Ascot, Goodwood, Newbury and York racecourses wrote to the RCA to demand changes earlier this year. The Jockey Club has given the RCA more time to deliver reforms but Ascot has served [...]
Constitution Hill flat racing switch helps horse racing attendances surge April 20, 2026 Former Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill’s shift to the flat has been cited for an increase in horse racing attendances across the UK. Nearly 700,000 people attended a British racecourse in the first quarter of 2026, up nearly five per cent on last year and up on 2024. With hard numbers fueled by a huge [...]